★ Byzantine lead seal of Leontios protospatharios and droungarios ★

Byzantine lead seal of Leontios protospatharios and droungarios (8th/9th cent.)
Obverse: Invocative cruciform monogram, inscribed in four corners, ΘΕΟΤΟΚΕ ΒΟΗΘΕΙ ΤΩ CΩ ΔΟΥΛΩ = Θεοτόκε βοήθει τῷ σῷ δούλῳ (Mother of God, help your servant), traces of wreath border.

Reverse: Inscription in 5 lines, following a cross, no visible border: + ΛΕΟ/[Ν]ΤΗΟ ΠΡΩΤΟCΠ[Α]/Θ(ΑΡΙΩ) ΚΑΙ ΔΡΟΥΓ[Κ](ΑΡΙΩ)/ΤΟΥ..../Π... = Λεοντίῳ πρωτοσπαθαρίῳ καὶ δρουγκαρίῳ τοῦ .... (Leontios protospatharios end droungarios of...).
A droungarios, also spelled drungarios (Greek: δρουγγάριος, Latin: drungarius) and sometimes anglicized as Drungary, was a military rank of the late Roman and Byzantine empires, signifying the commander of a formation known as droungos, from Gaulish or from a Germanic language. In the late 6th century, the Emperor Maurice (r. 582–602) in his Strategikon used droungos to refer to a specific tactical deployment, usually of cavalry, although still in the general sense of "grouping, division". The term droungarios (Greek: δρουγγάριος) is not documented before the early 7th century but might have been used as an informal or unofficial designation before that date. The office and the corresponding unit appear to have initially referred to ad hoc arrangements, but during the early 7th century these were formalized, like much of the Eastern Roman army's rank structure. In the new military-administrative theme system, every major division, called a thema (Greek: θέμα), was further divided into tourmai. Each tourma was divided into moirai (Greek: μοίραι) or droungoi. Which in turn were composed of several banda. Thus each moira or droungos was the analogue of a modern regiment or brigade, initially circa 1000 men strong (and hence also referred to as a chiliarchia), although on occasion it could rise to 3000 men. Emperor Leo VI the Wise (r. 886–912) is recorded as having established droungoi of only 400 men for the new smaller themes. The rank of droungarios was one of the lowest military ranks that carried an accompanying court title, ranging from hypatos to vestētōr. The rank of droungarios was also used in the Byzantine navy to designate its admirals. The droungarios tou [basilikou] ploïmou (Greek: δρουγγάριος τοῦ [βασιλικοῦ] πλοΐμου) was the commander of the central Imperial Fleet, based at and around Constantinople. The provincial ("thematic") fleets were also commanded by a droungarios (although it was later replaced by the more exalted rank of strategos), to whose title was added the name of the thema under his command, e.g. droungarios tōn Kibyrrhaiōtōn (Greek: δρουγγάριος τῶν Κιβυρραιωτῶν, one of the subordinate admirals of the Cibyrrhaeot Theme). The position of the droungarios tou ploïmou first occurs in the so-called Taktikon Uspensky of circa 842, and the exact date of its establishment is unclear.

Condition: Very Fine

Weight: 13.56 gr
Diameter: 27 mm